1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for on-line, analysis of reactants, particularly during the reaction thereof.
2. THE Prior Art
Before the present invention, there has been no standard approach for on-line, real time analysis of reactants, e.g. that of basic hydrogen peroxide (BHP) in reactors used to generate singlet delta oxygen [O.sub.2 (.sup.1 .DELTA.)]for COIL lasers, to evaluate utilization of reactants and provide warning of approaching reactant depletion. The prior art procedure has been to take samples of the reactants, transfer them to a chemistry laboratory and obtain results several days later. Also the aggressive chemical environment of Cl.sub.2, O.sub.2 (.sup.1 .DELTA.) strong base and H.sub.2 O.sub.2 ; the low test temperature, e.g.-20.degree. C., the violent agitation sparging and solid KCl precipitate in the reactor, have made use of standard electrodes inserted into the reactor, unfeasable.
Attempts have been made in the prior art for concurrent sampling of a process, see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,045 to McGill (1992). McGill discloses a testing procedure, while not on-line, dips a testing instrument into a reactant bath of e.g., H.sub.2 O.sub.2, pumps a sample of the bath into a sample chamber 15 from one direction and a reagent, e.g. sodium hypochlorite solution into such chamber 15 from another direction. He then closes certain valves and measures the pressure in the chamber 15, to determine H.sub.2 O.sub.2 concentration therein; then, by air pressure, purges the reagent mixture back into the reactant bath.
Thus as indicated, the above prior art process
1) is limited to measuring gas pressure for extrapolating H.sub.2 O.sub.2 concentration therefrom and PA1 2) discharges the reactants into the H.sub.2 O.sub.2 bath, tending to contaminate same. PA1 a) a conduit having two ends and connected at both of the ends to the reactor to define a conduit loop for the reactor, PA1 b) a pump mounted in the loop, to draw the reactants from the reactor, through the loop and back to the reactor and PA1 c) at least one sensor mounted in the loop to measure at least one property of at least one of the reactants to monitor same.
Another prior art reference, U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,855 to Mochizuki et al (1992) relates to a particular type of chemical sensor made of a plurality of substrates and being divided such that a membrane portion can be disposed of and the remaining portion can be reused. Again a particular type of chemical sensor is disclosed, with no suggestion of using same in an on-line analysis of BHP reactants.
Accordingly, there is a need and market for a method and apparatus, capable of providing on-line chemical analyses of concentrated, low temperature BHP in real time. There has now been discovered such a system that obviates the above prior art shortcomings.
Such apparatus should be constructed so as not to interfere with the BHP reactants and thus be of inert structural materials and yet provide a stream of (real time) data for monitoring and analysis of the reactants as desired.